In the human body, the colon is meant to get rid of waste material and bacteria. It should absorb water and mineral salts to maintain the fluid balance. A colon that doesn’t work properly can spread toxins throughout the body.

You can help the function of your colon by healthy eating habits. For breakfast, take the time to squeeze fresh oranges and drink their juice, instead of opening a can or bottle. Eat bread, but take wheat bread instead of pure white. Also eat vegetables that have natural waste, like peppers (don’t skin them, because it’s the skin that produces the waste), green beans, asparagus, … When you eat soup (made of fresh vegetables, of course!) add one or two spoons of bran. This will also activate the colon. When preparing pasta’s, choose for the whole wheat variety. Drink enough water, as a person needs to drink half of his or her weight in ounces. Most acceptable is drinking between 1,5 and 2 liters water a day.

And my grandma always told me that you can help constipation by drinking a full glass of lukewarm water when waking up. Not very tasteful (you can remedy this by adding a bit of lemon juice), but it sure helps!

Not only healthy eating habits activate your colon’s function, also a lot of physical exercise does. You don’t need to go to a gym to achieve this. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk shorter distances instead of using the car. For longer distance, why not use the bike for a change? It is considered a plus when you walk about two hours a week.

But sometimes you need more than healthy habits. Sometimes it is necessary to cleanse your colon by a recipe. When you search the internet, you’ll find hundreds of ads and free recipes. How can you know what is best for you?

You should remember that most of these recipes are made by humans just like yourself. So better check the credentials of the writer of the article. Some of these recipes are only the result of trial and error, and you can’t know how they will work for you. Also find out everything you can about the ingredients of the recipe, and check whether they could be harmful to your health or not.

The best cleansing recipes contain ingredients such like psyllium seeds or husks and pro- biotics. But – and here’s the catch – many a free product on the internet needs an ingredient that you’ll have to buy from a particular vendor. So be careful here!

Better stick to natural ways, for instance by using herbs. Aloe leaf, ginger and cayenne pepper stimulate bowel movement. Barberry stimulates liver and gall bladder. Fennel and garlic have a purifying action on the colon bacteria – they help to kill the harmful ones. They can also prevent gas formation. Herbal teas (can be bought in the store) can be used in moderation, in order to prevent too frequent bowel movement.